SLAYERS: Academy Years
by AbstractRainbow
Summary: AU. It's been years since Sunnydale was blown up and the Slayers were all Called. Now at least two Slayer Academies have formed. Centralized around a decendant of both Buffy and Willow. DEBSlike storyline. FF pairings. Temporary Hiatus
1. Overview

_**Overview**_

_Alright this is a completely AU story (alternate universe for those of you who don't know what that means). Buffy and Co. existed a bit in the past, the world here is a bit different than the one in the Buffyverse. As well, this is somewhat of a cross between our beloved Buffy, D.E.B.S., and has my own twist added in_.

What you should know:

Buffy was, of course, The Slayer, drowned as you know, and the next Slayer was called. Kendra was not the one. Faith was called directly, and showed up halfway through the drama with Angel(us). She did, indeed, go bad, and was in a coma for much longer than in the series. Everything else happened, if not exactly like the show, then at least similar with the same major events. Faith awoke at the first appearance of the First and the Bringers, and reformed due to the massive amounts of nightmares and horrors that she endured while asleep.

The first was defeated, the Slayers were all awakened, blah blah blah. After Sunnydale was blown up in the closing of the Hellmouth, the Scoobies, Oz, all of the new slayers, and some of the former Initiative worked together to form the new Watchers' Council, and the Slayer Academy.

**Buffy**… lived a mostly single life afterward, though a fling did result in a son that she only partially raised before dying for a final, and permanent time, saving the world yet again. She has become a legend to the slayers.

**Faith**… though reformed, forever had to live under the shadow of the "dark slayer". She, in her longer life, actually did more good, and saved the world more times, than even Buffy ever accomplished. The original Scoobies, and those who were in the big battle, did think of her as one of the Great Slayers, but that time of evil always seemed to weigh on the poor girl like a plague. She too had a child, though this one a daughter, who was never Called.

**Willow**… she led a mostly happy life, and for a good portion of it was indeed still with Kennedy, of all people. (poor girl). When the two wished to have a child, Xander obliged and donated some sperm to them, as much as needed. They had a daughter, who was, indeed, Called, and became a wonderful Slayer in her time. She and Buffy's son married and had three children.

**The Slayer Academy**…. Originally located in England, due to their connections with Riley and the old Initiative, achieved federal funding after fifteen years, and located in the US as well. Both are wonderful schools, and produce both magnificent Slayers, and a few pretty bad-ass witches and warlocks.

Now

**Elizabeth Michelle Summers**: Direct descendant of not only Buffy Summers "the Legend", but also Willow Rosenberg… the witch that made the Great Choosing. She's a pretty good Slayer, and a Junior at the US Academy. Believed to be destined to be one of the Greats because of her ancestors

**Diana Connor**: One of the top scoring Slayers at the academy, with minor magical abilities. Best friend to Elizabeth, or Liz, and on the same squad. Little known fact is that her great-grandmother is Faith, the dark slayer. Jealous of Liz's ease at everything in life, believing that though she loves her friend, the girl gets everything handed to her on a platter, even if she doesn't really want it. Diana wants and strives to be a Great slayer, and wishes that, though Liz has it too easy, Liz would just want and try for what is so often given to her.

"**Brennon Talon"** : known half-demon. Though not one of those evils that wishes to destroy the world, Brennon is the half-human daughter of a major Demon Boss. Her father, who runs various demon rings and terrorizes in the east, has given she and her human half-brother reign over his territory here in the west. She mostly runs the gambling rings, and directs some of the other less savory aspects of supernatural life in the west, but has no desire to end the world or any such thing like that. So, there aren't any take-over-the-world or end-the-world attempts coming from her forces. Nevertheless, no Slayer has ever infiltrated her domain and lived to tell about it, supposedly.


	2. Chapter 1: Report

**Chapter 1: Report**

"Liz! Kelleigh, Mary! Everyone up and report!" Diana's voice rang loudly through the common room of their dormitory quad. They'd all had a late night, out slaying until five that morning, and it was only nine now. None of them were likely to appreciate this wake-up call. "Squad, report!" The dark-haired girl poked her head into Kelleigh's dorm and growled at the sight of a second lump under the covers. "Morning report, get up O'Donnel…." She started to close the door and shook her head, glaring once more. "And no guests in the room after curfew."

The first lump looked up slowly, uncovering purple hair shorn pixie-short, and bright green eyes. Her pale skin shone in the glare of the morning light that was shining through the window, and she looked over at the lump next to her. "Up…Up, up, out! Breaking code twenty-nine – four." She stumbled out of bed, her Gaelic accent thick, reaching for her pack of cigarettes and seeing the set of clothes on the floor that were definitely not hers. "And take your laundry with you this time. I don't know how to get that magick gook out of your shirts…" The second lump squirmed and peeked out, glaring at her for being so rude. One of the new blonde magick students… a promising young witch.

Mary was already stumbling around her room, looking for her boots, and when Diana peaked in, jumped with surprise. "Have you seen my favorite stake?"

"Get a move on, morning report." Diana growled, slamming the door shut after her, only to turn and see Liz coming out of her own room with a yawn and stretch. "Morning report, Summers."

Another yawn, and the skinny girl reached for a cup of the coffee that was already brewing on the central table. "I know…" yawn "I know. Fuck, why's it so early today?"

As the other two girls filed out, Kelleigh still in her pj set, the blond witch student quickly ran out the front door… and their assigned Watcher walked in immediately after. "Code twenty-nine – four in violation?"

Kelleigh only smiled contentedly as she flopped down on the couch, Mary timidly following. The other two girls groaned, Liz yawning again, and followed suit. The watcher, Victor Dunn, didn't say anything else about it, and moved over to the large crystal that was just below the bright window at one end of the room. "Your morning report…"

"Five vampires, one non fledgeling. Two demons." Diana immediately replied, holding out a small stack of papers, and a black plastic baggie of something. "The heart of the Deithor Demon."

Victor looked at the papers being handed to him, and tossed them absently on the table next to the crystal, politely ingoring the slightly aggravated look on Diana's face. Likely the girl had spent what little was left of her night and morning writing them up before receiving his call about the early briefing. "Slayers…" he looked around at all of them, then traced a pattern on the crystal, an illusion of a computer's holographic display showing up then. "The reason why I've called you out of bed after an inevitably late slaying night, is that there has been a sighting of a notorious Boss in our sectors. Your squad has been chosen for investigation." Diana's eyes seemed to light up at that, and he suppressed a smile. "The boss known as Brennon Talon has been sighted in the area again."

That seemed to elicit gasps amongst three of the four girls assembled, and the so-tired Liz finally came fully awake. Brennon Talon? _The_ Brennon Talon, here? In Crater City, where the former Sunnydale once sat? What the hell was she doing here? She hadn't been seen in this area for six years. As they all reacted to it, Mary finally reacted and let out a frustrated breath. "Will _someone_ tell me who this Brennon Talon is?"

"You're kidding me, right?" Diana looked disgusted, but was cut off from continuing as Victor began the briefing. They could all use a refresher.

"Brennon Talon… born to the name Brennon Ashley Smith." He said, touching a part of the illusion to bring in a closer, if fuzzy, image of a girl, perhaps a young woman, with long, dark hair. "A half-demon, her demon lineage unknown, she has been known to this organization since it's second-decade mark, when she was but ten. Talon, due to her bloodline, grew slowly, but has been raised by agents of her father, the demon, or he himself for years. Since his fleeing to the western coast of the United States, she has apparently taken over his territories here, and rebuilt them. No true end-of-the-world scenarios have been produced from her own agents here, but the wisest and most long-lived are those that plan well and long. It is believed that she is only waiting for some unknown celestial or economic event to make her move. Talon controls half of the demon bars in the state, and a good percentage of those in the surrounding state areas. It's said that her forces also control sixty percent of the… poker games… gambling, and loan sharks."

Diana sneered and Liz turned green, though Kelleigh didn't react at all. Mary, as per usual, was just confused. She wasn't the best of students in her demonology and demon society classes, and thus had no clue what exactly happened at poker games, and what gambling bets were usually made with. "Okay… so she sounds like a demon version of a Mob Boss… what's the big deal?"

"Demon bosses rarely extend such a far reach, and maintain control. Demons are notoriously greedy and deceitful. Yet all of her underlings, every single one of them, is loyal to her, and uphold her rules to the letter." Victor said, pinching the bridge of his nose and wishing that he had glasses to imitate the rather soothing motions of wiping them that his own mentor had always done when stressed. "It is suggested, though not proven, that she hand-picks all of them."

"Wow…" Mary slowly thought that over as the other girls tried to think of what exactly they were going to do. "Um… I guess that means she's really powerful and… um… leader-like."

"Not even her own father controls his underlings so completely. I've heard reports that his own territories out in the west are slowly deteriorating to smaller and smaller areas." He smiled slightly at that. At least there was some good news. "Brennon Talon holds this area in a firm grip however, and is seconded by this man." He touched the illusion again, images and information having scanned over it throughout his lecture. Now another picture showed itself, more clear than the one of Brennon herself, of what looked to be a completely human young man, of about twenty-five. "This is Kevin Alvin Smith, her half-brother, and completely human. He is her most loyal underling, and an accomplished warlock. Talon has looked after him from his time as a teenager, and they've been rather inseparable since her introduction to his life. Both have been sighted."

"But… what's such a big deal. Yeah, she seems powerful, they both do…" Mary trailed off, thinking that this was just another powerful demon that, if not just their squad, then a good deal of Slayers could take down. What was so different about her?

"There have been a few excursions into her domain since she was first recognized as a true threat ten years ago." Victor explained in a very dramatic voice, making Mary want to roll her eyes. However, as the other girls looked rather serious too, she focused on what he was saying. "In those times, no Slayer has engaged her, and lived to tell about it."

"Oh my god." Mary's eyes widened. Even with so many Slayers running around, it was still rare that one demon could claim having killed more than one Slayer, if any. They were a tough breed. For her to have faced several, and defeated them all?

_**TBC**_


	3. Chapter 2: The Evil Lair

_ Penthouse somewhere in Crater City_

"What's her name?"

"Regina Blahkord." He smiled softly, strengthening the illusion before her as she sat back. Their little penthouse was plush, and as posh as she ever could have asked. At the moment, his dear sister took up a brown leather chair, a lazy-boy if he was correct, and lounged in it much as if she owned not just the chair, but the world. Her expression though, as she looked carefully at the image, was less than desireable. She looked a bit concerned, and certainly skeptical. Finally, she said the words that he'd already begun to suspect were coming.

"Cancel it." Brenn pushed up out of the chair, turning and striding over to the bar, picking over several of the bottles before pouring herself something. She downed it in one shot.

"Why? She's exactly what you need!" He fumed. Didn't she even appreciate the effort he went through to set this up? Didn't she know how difficult it was to even get in contact with this one? "What's wrong?"

"Cancel it." She said again, simply, pouring another glass, and then a second for him. "Tell her I'm busy."

"What's so wrong with her?" He insisted, ignoring the drink and gesturing wildly at the image that was still maintained in front of the chair. "Why?"

"She's a fucking vampire for one thing." Brennon insisted with a sneer, glaring at him. He should know better than that. "Secondly, I don't even know where you dug her up. I've never heard of her before."

"Yeah, well, she's pretty damned underground." He grumbled, aggravated again that it had actually taken him an entire month to track the vampire, and then converse enough to pull this off. That was an awfully long time, at least for him. "Besides, she's a chick. She's a hot chick. Where is it written that says that my sister won't go out to meet a hot chick?"

"What's she do…" Brenn asked finally with a sigh, glaring at the liquid in her glass as if it offended her.

"Mostly elimination, but a few ritual services. She was a budding wicca in her human years." He offered with a hopeful smile.

She hesitated, thought about it, and he almost thought he'd won. "No."

"You're going!" He insisted finally, glaring as she downed the liquid once more and stomped off. "You haven't been out in years!"

"Yes I have! I've been out." She growled back, punching at a scarf that hung down from a hook it had caught on recently. "What about that werewolf girl… I went out with her…"

"No… _we_ went out with her. Five of us… and then you said that there was someone you had to go kill, and ditched her." He argued, flinging himself in front of her and attempting to get his stubborn sister to at least look him in the eye.

"She was really annoying." Brenn grumbled half-heartedly, making a rather pathetic excuse as she rolled a ball on her pool table at another one randomly. He rolled his eyes. "And she had the IQ of a gnat!"

"Fine, I get it. You got burned." He frowned in sympathy. "And damn if I wish you'd let me torture the bitch. So you got dumped by your pet human…"

"Shaman…"

"Your pet shaman girl…" he corrected absently as she glared openly at him. "I understand. It hurts. But you dealt, okay? You had your time. You went off to your little home in Brazil…"

"The Caymans, Kevin…"

"And you had your time to mope and pout… but now it's time to get back on the proverbial horse." He smiled entreatingly, but with a wry twist to his brows that dared her to contradict him.

"I do not mope and pout." She growled, glaring at him.

"Please, Brenn. Brennon. Sister. Just go out. Have a date. For me… your baby brother." He clasped his hands and pouted at her dramatically, threatening her with his very posture that he'd imitate a puppy's whine next. She could never stand that, and the few times he'd gotten to it she'd agreed just to get him to stop. He was terrible at it.

"One! One date." She sneered and whirled toward her wardrobe.

"Great!" He smiled then, turning as well to leave, but pausing at the door. "Just promise me one thing…. You'll be open."

"Open to what?" Brennon Talon looked over her shoulder at the warlock, her precious brother, and frowned. She'd regret asking that, she just knew it.

"Open to loooove…" he dragged the word out teasingly, the grinned with mischief as he skipped out of the room in time to avoid the boot flying directly toward his face.

_**TBC**_


	4. Chapter 3: The Meet

"I hate this…" She looked over at Dianna and raised a brow, trying to settle more comfortably into her seat and keep an eye out for potential trouble. She didn't like it any more than her friend, but this wasn't the place to go talking about it. The spell cloaking their presence as slayers wasn't likely to last past being attacked, and there was more than one demon variety that had far too keen of ears for them to keep talking. Her slayer senses were going crazy in this place, and she squinted over at a table where a familiar figure sat. "Why can't we just ambush her when she gets here?"

"Shh…" she whispered, extending her senses to see if anyone had heard. They were lucky, this time. Wasn't that a well known vampire? A couple decades old, she thought… responsible for a few ritual summonings that the squads had to deal with. And she could have sworn that she'd heard a rumor that this one was responsible for the death of Slayer Jannyn. What was someone like that doing sitting in a demon bar… alone? For that matter, what was someone like Brennon Talon doing coming to a demon bar? She'd always thought that it was below demons of their stature.

Next to her Dianna fidgeted again, but there seemed to be more purpose behind it. Turning her head slightly, she saw a figure walk in, and the demons near that entrance go dead-silent. Next to her was a man in torn jeans and a hoodie, another thing that didn't fit. What was a powerful mage like him, in such a high and profitable position, doing wearing rags like those? She'd seen better on fledgeling vampires. The young woman was obviously Brennon Talon, though the images had always been fuzzy, Liz had made it her place to study them. It was really _the_ Brennon Talon. Her breath caught, and she stared, unable to help herself.

"It's… it's her." She whispered, staring still, Diana was watching as well, but not quite staring despite her own amazement. "She's… she's…" _beautiful…_ "she's real."

"Yeah. I know, creepy innit?" Diana's voice held a hiss, and she broke her gaze to look at her friend. Dianna was glaring at the table now, doing her best to look like she wasn't watching Talon, but her gaze kept flickering in that direction. Respectful silence followed the half-demon boss, so their reaction wasn't the only one to include staring and whispers. Surprise of all surprises, Talon strode directly over to the table that vampire was sitting at, and took a seat. Her brother, the mage, disappeared somewhere near the bar, and she suspected that he was only along as insurance.

Belatedly, Liz rubbed the stone on a strange ring she wore. Their cover was that of witches, powerful ones and addicted to magic, and waiting for their most recent employer. Her activating a spell wouldn't seem out of place. It would likely be expected. No one even seemed to glance in her direction as she triggered the spell that enhanced her hearing enough to listen in on the villain's conversation.

"Hey. Sorry I'm late. Ran into… um… some unfinished business." Brennon smiled slightly as she pushed her jacket back onto the chair and scooted closer to the table, signaling one of the employees over. This wasn't typically a place where you ordered from a waitress or waiter, but for her they made an exception. She'd made sure of that before coming. The vampire didn't seem to be angry, and only nodded with a fang-flashing smile.

"It is not an issue." Her accent betrayed something near French, maybe. Brennon couldn't immediately place it, and didn't particularly care to. At least the vampire was beautiful. "I was early."

"So, um… do you want anything to drink?" She glanced up at the waiter that she'd signaled over, who hastily smoothed some wrinkles from his clothes. "Blood-wine?"

"I prefer from the source." The toothy grin came again, and she glanced at the waiter. "Vodka."

"Um… wine… please." Brennon smiled tentatively again, ignoring the waiter as he walked away. "So… um… what brings you back to this town? Not exactly the safest of places."

"Business." The woman shrugged, staring her unwaveringly in the eye. "I was hired to remove a former employer. He has met the sun."

"Oh… um…" Brennon glanced around and smiled as the waiter returned with their drinks. She took a heafty swallow of her wine, then looked at the vampire. "So what do you do when you aren't working?"

"I…" Here there was dramatic pause, and then an abrupt movement that might have meant to be, in some way, elegant. "like to dance." Brennon pretended to look interested, already annoyed. Getting her to talk was like pulling teeth. "It is what I studied in school, before I was turned."

"Really." She smiled a bit more genuinely, wondering what the woman was like when she'd still been human. "What kind of dance?"

"The vamp's in town to off an old employer. Now… they're talking about dancing?" Liz glanced in confusion at Dianna, then turned again to watch the vampire and half-demon.

"Must be some kind of code. Take it to memory." Diana suggested, looking around discreetly for where the mage was. They didn't get much more of a chance for quiet stake-out, though, as someone approached from behind them. Demons all over the bar were growling for some reason, and Diana looked up to realize that that very reason was standing directly behind Liz. A big, beefy, muscle-bound human. His arms and neck were covered in faint, but real scars, and on his neck being that of a vampire-bite. What the hell was he doing here?

"Liz…" she turned and stared at the young man, his shirt still spotted with some of the blood from his bite. He looked, at the moment, like one of those pathetic junkies from a vampire brothel, where humans went to be fed on, and vampires went to feed but not kill. Supposedly it was addicting. She knew better.

"Brian?" She hissed, glaring at him. What the _hell_ was he doing here? He was supposed to still be on a mission in Guam. "Isn't this place a bit advanced for you?"

"Got bored at the brothel," he offered, eyes flickering only briefly in the direction of Brennon Talon and her silent conversation. In his ear was only the tiniest hint of an aid, probably also listening in on the two as well. "I wanna talk. You can't just dump me over the phone and expect me to…"

"Now isn't the time, Brian." She growled, ducking her head and looking around to see just how many demons where staring at them. Most had looked away, scenting the blood and bite on him, and seeing him talk to the witch as if he'd come here to confront her. There weren't to be any fights with each other, and especially no human killings, in the bar, on order of its owner, lest it be brought too much to the attention of the numerous local Slayers. "Can't you just accept we're not together and get over it?"

"You broke up with my fucking machine." His eyes flared red, figuratively speaking, and he glared down at her. In his current persona, he was completely capable of such manners and talk, or he might have been more polite… maybe. "My machine."

"Yeah, well, you weren't home, like usual." She growled back, trying to listen to the conversation more closely. She was barely catching every other word, which meant that it was going to be over twice as difficult to crack the damned code. Simply because she didn't want her own cover blown by his being tossed, she glared at his bite mark. "I see you were out again…"

Catching the hint and realizing that they were still supposed to be pretending to be other people, he took the liberty of responding, instead of stalking off. "Yeah, well, we've all got our habits and obsessions, don't we?" Maybe he really meant part of that, it almost sounded like he did, but she turned away instead of deigning to answer. Grabbing her shoulder, he glared again. "Gimme back the bracelet. It was my mom's."

"Fine, will you leave me alone then? I'm supposed to be meeting someone." She glowered at him, straining to listen to the conversation. Were they talking about ballet? He nodded curtly, indicating that he would leave, and as she struggled to concentrate on the conversation as well as getting the trick catch on the bracelet, he abruptly bent forward to help get it off. It was a mistake, of course. Some of the wires must have gotten crossed, cause as he moved too quickly to help, or came too close to the spells set on her, the aid in his ear screeched in protest softly. That, of course, was torture to her own enhanced ears, and warning to some of the more sensitive demons. Several jumped up, startled at the sound of an unfamiliar machine's whine, knowing that no one in here would have such a thing. HE winced and shook his head, the thing falling out and screeching again, and an alert was yelled.

"Initiative!" one called out, sounding somewhere between panicked and angry, as a good half of the bar jumped up as well and looked around. That seemed to be the cue for the front door to burst open with his team as well.

"Fuck…" he growled, pressing a hand to his aching ear, and signaling the team in. The smarter demons scattered, finding other exits to hastily run through, and a few stupid ones chose that moment to attack the soldier-boys. A few demons started in their direction, including a vampire, and Diana jumped up as well, pulling out a stake.

"SLAYERS!" That startled the rest of the demons in the bar to bolting, or attacking as well. Kelleigh and Mary came scuttling out of their own hiding place to help, and Liz looked around in a panic to figure out what had happened to Brennon and the vampire. This was not going well. She barely saw the vampire ducking out of one exit, and a strange magical warping distort the doorway of another.

"Shit, she's getting away!" Liz called out to Dianna.

"Let the soldier boys handle things here, it's his damned fault that we were compromised." Dianna said, edging her way toward Liz with the other two girls, easily tossing aside most of the foolhardy demons that tried at them. "Mary, Liz, you try to follow them. Kelleigh and I will try to head them off."

"But our Watcher said not to fight her!" Mary complained already trying to catch up to them as they rushed toward the exits. Dianna skidded to a brief stop, staring at the girl incredulously.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" She grabbed Mary's shirt, and tugged her closer, snarling in her face. "You're a fucking Slayer. Act like one! I'm team-leader, I said follow her. You wanna go back and say we didn't even find out where she's holing up?"

"Mary, come-on, it's just observational." Liz called, grabbing her arm and pulling her along with her. Dianna rolled her eyes, cursed a few more times, and dashed off in a different direction with Kelleigh.

It took a few hard kicks and pounding, with full Slayer-strength, to get the door to open, and when they did, they found themselves in an alley, with two ways to go. "Which way do we…."

"You take that way, I'll go there." Liz offered, turning to run off again, only to have a panicked Mary grab her. "C'mon girl, you can do this. You're a Slayer. Just take a deep breath, and go. All you have to do is follow her."

"I…"

"You can do it Mary." The girl took a deep breath, too deep of one to help, and nodded once, then trotted off in the direction she was supposed to go. Liz shook her head and sighed, turning the other way and running. There was another fork ahead, and it only took her debating one moment to turn one way and try that. Dead end. Cursing, she turned to try the other way, hoping that luck would finally catch up with her tonight, only to run head-on into someone else. Probably Mary. "Shit. God, I am so sorry. Are you okay." She stood, shaking stars from her vision and turned to try and help up the other person. Both were standing, and as they locked eyes, her realizing that the other person was begrudgingly apologizing as well, she realized just _who_ she'd run into. "Fuck…"

"Shit…" Brennon Talon leapt back, eyes wide, and unsheathing her claws, as Liz whipped out a stake. It was the only weapon she had on her.

"You're… You're Brennon Talon." She stammered out, stiffly staying in fighting stance and keeping her eyes on the half-demon.

"Slayer…"

"You…" she gulped, staring. "Just… um… surrender and… and the Watchers can figure out what to do with you…"

"You're kidding me, right?" Brennon sounded half-amused, half shocked. She couldn't believe this Slayer was actually trying to get her to turn herself in.

They stared at each other for several more long seconds, Brennon twitching slightly as she tried to ready herself for a Slayer. How well trained was this one? She looked nervous… maybe it was a front?

"Listen… um… I don't wanna die…" She finally said, shocking the half-demon. "I… so why don't you just… calm down… and I'll put the stake down…"

"Why don't you put the stake down first…" Brennon said, confused, and looking her over briefly. What was this, some kind of game?

"Well I'm the good guy… I figure that I'm probably a bit more trustworthy of the two of us." She said with a nervous smile, her stake wavering only slightly as her eyes flickered from the claws, to Brennon's face, and then back.

"Yeah, except that I was only out on some stupid blind date when you asses decided to jump me." She snapped back.

Liz blinked a few times, her posture getting just a little less tense, and she smiled slightly. Lowering the stake just a little, she gestured with it. "Wait a minute… you were on a date?"

"Yeah…"

"With that vampire chick?"

Brennon glowered and watched as the stake turned into more of a gesturing tool than a weapon for the Slayer. "What's it to you?"

"I… I just didn't know you were like that." Liz looked like she was about to laugh.

Brennon's scowl only deepened, and she looked kind of offended. "_Why_ would _you_ know?"

"I'm doing my final project in fifth year Research on you…" Liz blushed slightly, and smiled. "Um… you're the prize subject."

"You're kidding me, right?" Brennon relaxed slightly and looked Liz over curiously.

"No, really. All of the girls want to do their project on you. You're the most challenging. No one really knows anything about you. No Slayer or Wicca has ever really stopped to talk to you before." She smiled and blushed, gesturing again. "Um… until now. You don't mind, do you?"

"Right, until now…" Brennon smiled just slightly, sheathing the claws of her right hand and standing straight again. "No. Um… I guess I didn't really introduce myself. Brennon. Brennon Talon."

"Right! Oh, sorry. Elizabeth Summers." Liz quickly switched her stake to her other hand and shook hand offered to her, smiling back in a polite manner. "Liz really. It's really nice to meet you."

"Yeah… you too." Brennon smiled a bit more, and the flash of fangs seemed to catch Liz's attention again.

"Oh, right… well you're still, you know… under arrest I guess you could say. I still have to bring you back to the watchers, I mean, or something." She switched her stake back again, and shrugged, seeming more at ease now.

"Do you really." Brennon smirked again, re-sheathing the rest of her claws and giving the girl another once over. They heard shouting in the distance. It was Mary, calling out to Liz, and claiming that there hadn't been anyone that way. "You know… you could just let me go…."

"I really couldn't." Liz smiled slightly, shrugging once more. "You're nice and all, but you're still a demon."

"Not all demons are evil." Brennon pouted, and Liz was distracted by another yell from Mary. The girl didn't know which way to go.

"I'm down this way!" Liz yelled, turning slightly. When she looked back, Brennon was gone… "Fuck."

Dianna and Kelleigh were both with Mary, and Liz let out a frustrated breath, looking around for where Brennon could have gone. "Oh my god, are you okay? What happened? I was yelling for like, five minutes."

Liz looked skeptically at Mary, knowing it could have been that long at all. Rolling her eyes, she smiled a bit, excited. "She was here. Brennon Talon. Here. I was face to face with her."

"Buggar that. If you'd met her, one of you would be dead." Kelleigh said, rolling her eyes and taking out a clove. "Probably you."

"No really, she was…" Liz began, only to be cut off by Mary's gasp.

"You guys…" Mary stretched from where she stood on a dumpster, grabbing a jacket that hung casually on a pipe coming out of the brick wall closing off this alley from the one on the other side. It was the very jacket that Brennon had been wearing.

"Shit… do you realize what this means?" Dianna asked, staring at the jacket, then her friend. Liz looked confused.

"You fought the Talon… and lived."

TBC


	5. Chapter 4: Slayer Who?

Brennon slid into the car that her younger, half-brother had stolen for them, and slammed the door behind her as he sped off. He was cursing, quite colorfully, and ranting about something having to do with Slayers and the Initiative. Well, it hadn't really gone according to plan, no. As he turned to look at her, waiting for her to agree with him, or growl that he shut up, he noticed the slight smirk on her lips. The smirk she always got when something was up. "What's the look? What's with the look? You've got that look."

"I… met someone… you could say." She smiled slightly, raising her brows and turning to look ahead of them at the road. Good thing to, she was able to brace herself when he hit the breaks and brought them to a screeching halt. "Fucking a…"

"Okay… wait a minute…" He smiled in a goofy way, staring at her. "I knew you two would hit it off. Admittedly the ballet thing was a little weird, and she was kinda quiet…"

"Fuck no! That _vampire_ was a disaster, thank-you. I oh-so-enjoyed dragging conversation out of that…" Brennon rolled her eyes and folded her arms. She could just imagine the clueless look on his face at the moment, though.

"Wha…" He shook his head as she turned to glare at him. "I'm no followin. I don't get it."

She paused, knowing what his reaction was going to be. Hell, she'd have the same if their positions were switched. They weren't though, and she looked away innocently. "Uh… just promise not to spaz."

"Why, exactly, would I have need to spaz?"

"Well… you can do that sometimes…" She hazarded, delaying yet more. He opened his mouth to start shouting, as expected, and she interrupted before he could. "Fine! Fuck… okay, so what do you know about a girl named Elizabeth Summers…"

"Elizabeth Summers…" He said softly, thinking, as he looked up, then back at her slowly, still with that confused expression on his face. "The witch that owns the local apothecary?"

"No…" She bit her lip and drew back a bit, watching him think. An expression of realization came over his face, and he almost looked like he was choking. Yep, bingo.

"E… Elizabeth Summers. Liz… Summers…." He blinked hard, gripping the steering wheel as if he couldn't believe this was happening. He probably couldn't. "Strawberry blonde hair… petite frame… carries a stake?" Slowly, Brennon nodded, waiting for the explosion, as his voice got louder and louder. "Bren, she's a Slayer. Fuck, she's not just any slayer, she's a _Slayer_. She's their fucking baby!"

"What the hell does that mean?" She growled, getting out of the still stopped car. He followed, chasing her around to the front to argue more. Luckily, there weren't any bystanders out at this time of night to see them arguing.

"Summers… don't you fucking get it? She's related to Buffy Summers. _The Slayer_. Miss Legendary. Miss I closed the Hellmouth. Miss fucking greatest slayer ever!" He snapped, looking panicked… and of course really pissed off. She'd expected that, but not what he'd revealed. "Not just that, but she's also supposed to be descended from the witch. You know, the witch that Chose all of the new Slayers? She's the only direct descendant of the both of them…. She's supposed to be like the PERFECT slayer!"

"Big deal…" She shrugged, snatching the keys out of his hand. "It doesn't matter. And little miss famous may not know it yet, but she digs me."

"Are you not listening to me?"

"Can you say, back on the horse?" Her brows rose suggestively, and she trotted quickly over to the driver's side. He scrambled into the passenger side, still planning to argue. Which he did. He told her she was insane. He told her she was a fool. "Bagh!"

"PS, miss stubborn demon… SHE'S STRAIGHT!"

Liz sat in the small ledge of her window, holding the jacket that she was supposed to give to their Watcher come morning report. She was looking at it, curiously, as if it might give her the answers to her questions. The late-night moon shone down over her, and she cracked the window for a bit of a breeze. Without even knowing what she was doing, Liz stood, holding the jacket higher and taking a big breath of the musky, spiced scent still lingering on the leather. Setting it down as she moved toward her bed, Liz wondered where exactly Brennon Talon was at that moment.

_**TBC**_


	6. Chapter 5: Your Business Please

"This it?" Brennon looked at the markers on the road that had, so far, prevented her from driving past. Nothing really all that daunting, merely two perfect spheres of marble balanced one pedestals on either side of it. She'd tried getting out of the car and walking past, even off of the road. Kevin had walked up to it as well, and couldn't put so much as a hand past the invisible barrier.

"No, it's the hidden location of the fountain of youth." He said sarcastically. "Yes it's the Slayers' Academy territories. There hasn't been the sense of a demon for miles. What did you expect, that you could just walk right up to it and knock on the door?"

Brennon had a sudden simultaneous sympathy for vampires and the urge to knock the human unconscious. Then she shook both off, reestablishing her contempt for the bloodsuckers and patience for her brother. "Just get me past, will you you snarky bitch-boy?"

He raised a brow at her, surprised at the sudden attitude. She'd mostly just ignored his mood since getting in the car, what had changed now? Turning again and shaking his head at the magic before him, he felt around for a good thirty minutes. It was no use. "I can't sis. Too strong. Stronger than I'll ever be." He shook his head again and scowled at her. "For all we know, that Willow witch put this up. If she did, neither of us have any hope of getting near cracking it."

"Liz said when she met me that she'd have to take me in to the Watchers." Brennon said thoughtfully, kicking experimentally at the half of a marble sphere that was on their side of the barrier. "That must mean that there's _some_ way to get demons and warlocks and such past this. So figure it out."

"Fine, HocusPocus let us pass." He said, wiggling his fingers at the marble stones. She would have actually hit him that time if one of those spheres hadn't taken the liberty of zapping him with an arc of blue lightning. It wasn't too bad, merely singed his clothes and left his hair standing upright, but he was left pretty much uninjured.

"The balls found your joke about as funny as I did, kid." She said, hefting him up from the ground where he'd toppled to. Turning to look over her shoulder at the spheres, she smirked. "Hey, balls of fury, I just wanna see a resident inside." She hadn't thought that would work either, but after a moment they seemed to glow the same faint blue that had shocked her half-brother.

**Please state your business more clearly**. Simple as that, glowing words wrote themselves out in the air above the dirt road.

"Oh." Was all that Kevin seemed to have to say.

"I'm here to see a student, Elizabeth Summers." Brennon tried after a thought, smiling more brightly. It couldn't be this easy.

**Intent during visit. Demonic aura detected**.

"No harm intended." Bren tried. It repeated the message. "She has my jacket. I just wanted to see her."

The same arc of blue lightning shot toward her, too fast for her to react and dodge. If it had intended to kill her, well, she'd have probably been one crispy half-demon. Instead, it just tingled a little bit. **Soul detected, truth told. Pass**.

The words disappeared as if they had never been, and tentatively, Brennon attempted to put her hand through where, only a moment ago, there seemed to be an impenetrable, invisible wall. It moved through as if nothing but air, not even a tingle similar to when she'd passed through other warding fields. She stepped through and looked at herself. No harm, no pain, same as she was a mere yard back. Kevin tried to walk in after her with a display of more confidence in it than she had, and ended up falling to the ground again as he walked straight into the invisible wall. "What gives!"

**Enemy witch detected**. flashed through the air briefly before the spheres glowed and seemed to crackle with that blue electricity again. **Please state your businiess. Enemy witch detected**.

"I'm with her!"

**Please state your business more clearly. Enemy witch detected. Please state your business more clearly.** It was one stubborn spell.

"I'm accompanying her. The person you just let through. Brennon Talon." He snarled, hitting the invisible barrier with his fist. Brenn merely smiled and watched in amusement. He damn well better not have the security down on them though.

**Name not registered. Please state your business more clearly. Enemy witch detected.**

He growled, then glared at her for good measure, speaking in simple, slow tones. "I am here with my sister. She just passed through the barrier. She is here to visit someone. My business is following her in."

There was a pause before the next words flashed again. **Intent during visit. Enemy witch detected. Dark Magics potent.**

"I just want to go in with her. I mean no one here harm." He said, rolling his eyes.

**Dark Magics potent. Lying. Get lost Meanyhead.**

"It just called me a meanyhead!" Kevin snarled, incredulous.

"Just wait in the car." She laughed, turning and running off. She had to find someone who knew this spell, it was hilarious.

_**TBC**_


	7. Chapter 6: Miss Me?

Getting to the actual building wasn't as difficult as she'd thought. The girls patrolling the area had to be from the newest crop, they were all pretty young, looked very bored, and had stiff-looking Watchers with them. Finding the room she needed was the problem. Her senses were going haywire with so many slayers around, finding a specific one was going to be a challenge, and it was only when she remembered that she could just search out the spells on her jacket that things became much more easy. East side, over on the corner. That was her favorite jacket, Kevin had spelled it to call for her, on some sort of empathic level, whenever she lost it.

Brennon had to murmur to herself that leaving the jacket for Liz to take as 'evidence' was the smartest thing she'd done all night… possibly the only smart thing, but that still made it the most intelligent. The building looked to just be the basic red brick, with cement accents. Simple, easy maintenance, and no problem for her claws. The climb wasn't too difficult, though her boots gave very little in the way of a grip while she was ascending, and there was a very convenient ledge on level with the windows spanning both sides of the building. She crouched there, peering through the window to see if she had the right room, and smiled when she saw her jacket laying haphazard on a chair. There weren't any flashing lights indicating an alarm system, nor did she see the telltale little boxes on the window frame. This high up, there weren't any bars like the first three levels. Damn, the room had to be five stories up. "Note to self, don't fall."

The window was even unlocked. The slayers had to feel pretty secure to not lock up at night. Especially if getting past the barrier was that easy. Well, then again, it may not have been that easy if she had really been there to harm anyone. Brennon had her jacket shrugged on quickly before she moved closer to the bed. Liz looked practically like an angel laying there like that, and the demon side of the woman objected strongly to the notion. Nevertheless, quietly, she trailed a finger along the girl's cheek and leaned forward.

"Elizabeth. Liz. Hey, wake up." The whispers were quieter than she'd usually use, the acute Slayer hearing of the neighboring girls a constant thought to her. The slumbering Slayer stirred slightly. "Hey, Liz…" The abrupt movement startled Brennon as her hand was grabbed, and her arm, and she was thrown over the bed and onto the floor, landing with a soft thud before she rolled up and away. There was the object of her current obsession, if you could call it that, springing out of bed to face her with a confused and still somewhat sleep-addled expression. "Whoa, a little trigger happy Tex?"

"Brennon?" Liz squinted and stared at her, tilting her head and only barely lowering her fists before she raised them again. "What're you doing here?"

"I… um… wanted to see you." Bren smiled and shrugged a little, holding up her hands to show that she wasn't holding any weapons. That seemed to confuse Liz even more. "I mean… um… that project. Your research."

"My project?" Liz lowered her fists again, looking incredulous and shifted her weight. "You're kidding."

"No, I'm not. It's ridiculous you having to come up with theories and information on such outdated nonsense." Brennon tried to step closer, only to have a crossbow that had been laying next to Liz be suddenly taken up and pointed at her. "Come out with me. I'll let you profile me, any questions you want."

"That's probably not a smart idea…" Liz smirked a little, and was surprised by the roundhouse kick that suddenly knocked the crossbow up into the air, and it landed in Brennon's hands.

"I think this means that you have to come out with me." Bren smirked again and shrugged, gesturing with the crossbow.

"Can I at least get dressed first?" Liz was growling, and Brennon took a good look at her finally, and leered. A sports bra and boyshorts.

"I think you look just peachy." At Liz's glare, she chuckled softly. "Just grab those jeans on your chair. You can borrow my jacket once we get to the car."

Liz was still growling and grumbling as they made their way silently through the common room, and nearly shrieked in startlement when she heard someone else in the room, and a sudden gasp. Turning, she saw Mary with an unopened bottle of water from their stock in her hand, struggling, scared, and being held by Brennon with one hand over her mouth and the crossbow pointed at her. "What the fuck?" It was whispered, and Bren looked aggravated that this other girl had shown up.

"She was getting water." Liz whispered back with a scowl, then glowered at the trembling Mary. The emergency stairs were just a few paces away from the entrance to their area in the hall, and though there weren't any alarms on the doors, they creaked with the lack of oil. Brennon winced and growled at every screech and squeal of the hinges, and was shocked when no one came to investigate. They actually made it back to the barrier and car without incident. "So what the hell do you expect us to do now?"

"Get in the car, kid," Bren pushed Mary toward her brother and he shoved her unceremoniously into the back seat, cracking his knuckles and drawing magical energy around him. "Cool down, Kevin. Here." And she handed Liz the jacket, as promised, then gestured the passenger's seat. "Kevin, you're in back with the nosy one." The warlock looked livid.

_**TBC**_


	8. Chapter 7: Goin' Out

**Goin' Out**

"Where do you wanna go?" Brennon glanced at the girl with a grin, hearing the muffled almost-response from the back seat where, likely, Kevin had put a silencing spell on the other one. Liz only glared at her. "Hmm?"

"_You're_ the one that kidnapped me. Figured that kind of thing was up to the person in your position." It wasn't said as harshly as Bren would have expected, and made her chuckle, but that only seemed to upset the girl further. Shaking her head, Bren veered down one street, then another, taking a roundabout rout that involved tunnels, u-turns, and overpasses to confuse the Slayers as to where they were. The last bit was driving directly through what looked to be a beaten down old warehouse. In the back seat, Mary squealed in terror at the thought of driving into a wall, and she could even see Liz tense in preparation. Of course, they passed directly through the illusion without harm. "Where are you taking us?"

"You told me to choose… so I chose. Don't worry, I'll bring you back." The wink did little to reassure the Slayer, and she could hear her brother groan behind her. The warehouse wasn't as bad off as it had looked from the outside, and several cars were already parked haphazardly throughout the lower level. Sounds of music and voices could be faintly heard, though it was mostly a dull bass beat even to her sensitive ears. As the car parked, she turned in her seat toward Liz. "You can't get back out, even with Slayer strength through windows, should you find one, without a demon. You might as well come up with me."

"No."

"Stubborn." Brennon grinned at that, then shrugged. "Fine, have it your way. Sit here all night. If you want to interview me for that research paper of yours, I'll be upstairs. Kevin…"

The warlock followed her out of the car and toward the sturdy, steel staircase that lead to the upper levels, glaring behind him at the two Slayers they'd dragged along. "Right. Tell the _slayer_ that she needs a demon to get back through the wall. That's smart. She'll just grab one, force it to help her get out, and then kill it. Good for business, that."

"There's a reason you aren't the one that I had ward these clubs, Kevin." Brennon complained with a sigh. "It's not dark magic, not really. No one looking for a fight or confrontation can get in, nor can they find it. And you need someone of demon blood to get the wall to open. Same the other way around. They won't even remember which wall we came through if they've got violence on their minds… and honestly, two slayers against an entire building of demons?"

"You mean I can't get out of here?" His voice was incredulous, and drew a few stares from the clientele as they entered the second floor. It looked like some kind of grunge-goth-punk bar. She rolled her eyes at him and pulled him out of the way of the stairs, toward the music.

"Shut up. I'm having a good time, don't ruin it."

"You call this a good time?" incredulity again.

It was less than five minutes before the Slayers both arrived at the top of the stairs, Liz pushing the other one along by the scruff of the neck. Even if the remark about the interview did nothing, as Slayers she knew they wouldn't be able to resist taking a look around. "You ask her."

Brennon raised her eyebrows at Liz, then looked at Mary for the question she was supposed to be asked, and nearly laughed when it was voiced. "D… does this place h… have a b… bathroom?"

"Third floor, Kevin will show you." She barely turned to the man, knowing he was fuming at the assigned task. "And he'll be a perfect gentleman if he wants both out of here, and his Lothkahn orb back." The warlock's eye twitched, but he grumbled a "fine" and gestured for the frightened Slayer to follow him. Liz watched warily, then turned to Brennon, her nerves becoming obvious again. "Want a beer?"

"No…" Liz watched as, nevertheless, Bren grabbed two beers from a passing tray and took her arm.

"Lighten up, I'm not going to eat you." That was said with a less than comforting wink, though she had a feeling that Liz took it as a different meaning than she intended it. The Ofarlig demons occupying the booth that Bren steered them toward saw her, each one's five eyes went wide, and they quickly stood to make room. "Thanks. Tell Mika that your next round is on the house."

The sight of the strange demons seemed to startle her guest as Bren sat the girl down, set the bottles before them, and joined her at the booth. Ugly as the things were, with their hanging skin, stringy, but sparse, gray hair, five eyes, and cloven 'hands', they were harmless. Even those who had named them knew that to be so, their origins somewhere in Sweden. "But… What are they doing here? Ofarligi rarely congregate with other demons. Their empathic senses are too sensitive for the violence of the other species."

"Vehn and his brothers have been coming here for a while." Brennon shrugged, then pointed over at the Jackalope demons. "They, however, are mostly new. Just came to Crater two years ago."

Liz looked around, shocked a bit, to see several varieties of demons that had been classified in their files and books as 'peaceful', as well as some vampires, and other random creatures she'd never seen before. From there, she remained mostly silent, and Brennon sipped at her bottle of beer, trying to come up with something to say.

"So… you're a Slayer then…" When Liz looked at her, Bren had to restrain herself from hitting her head. That had to have been the most awkward thing she could have chosen to say. Yeah, establish that you own a few decent dives, then make a fool of yourself. That was really smooth. "Right… Okay, whatever. You might as well just lighten up. I know there've gotta be a shitload of questions you're just dying to ask me."

"Sure. Great environment for an honest interview." Liz glowered at her, though Bren could see the hint of a smile trying to tug at the corner of her mouth.

"I'd say so. Aside from my brother, you're the only one here that doesn't seem to want to hold to the club policy of harm-non-others, what with you glaring death at me every minute."

"I just don't get it!" It wasn't loud, but it startled the half-demon, and she blinked rapidly in response, smiling. That was certainly more like it. "I mean… why aren't you trying to kill me… or torture me… or whatever it is you do to us?"

"Us? Kill you? Way not into that." Bren sneered and drank more of her beer. Typical Slayer. If she didn't know that Liz seemed different, at least by a little, she'd be offended.

"Sure. That's probably what you told to the last bunch of Slayers you killed…" the grumble brought Bren's attention back, and she raised her eyebrow, clueless. "Slayer squad Gamma six years ago attempted to invade the inner reaches of your business base while squads Jenner and Epsilon provided backup and distraction. Gamma was supposed to have reached you, but none were left alive…"

"Gamma? Jenner? Epsilon?" Bren's eyebrows scrunched together and her tail flickered up to tap at her shoulder absently. "You mean that squad that had the Slayer Harriet Bradshawe in it? Fuck but if that wasn't a disaster. I had to stake eighteen vampires because of that invasion." Liz's eyes went wide. "Do you have any idea the strength and loyalty of the demons, the number of them, that I usually employ in a building like that? Sure, they made one hell of a dent in my resources, but by the time I came down to see what all of the fuss was about, those other two squads had retreated and all but one of the poor girls were dead. One of my idiot vampire security guards had actually dared to feed on her and force blood down her throat. I swear I've never employed a vampire in a primary building since. She was begging me to kill her…"

"It's worse than death for a Slayer to be turned…" Liz whispered, staring down at her still untouched beer. She knew already that the two backup squads had retreated too quickly, and that even though Gamma had claimed they were making good progress through the building, communication had shut off not long before the retreat. "And the three Slayer team that went after you in Sacramento and disappeared?"

"Car crash just outside of our territories. Some of my underlings went to investigate, saw the van, stood in front of the van to stop it, and they went out of control. I still have the Junga demon on the payroll as a bouncer at another one of these clubs further uptown." Bren said with raised eyebrows, smiling softly. "As with any accident or attention-getting incident near the premises, the remains were disposed of."

"The Slayer team that went after you in retaliation after the Gamma disaster?" When Brennon looked clueless, Liz had to clarify more. "You'd already left the city and were in… um… Alaska or something?"

"Further into Canada, but yeah. Those were Slayers?" At Liz's incredulous look, Bren shook her head. "It was reported that something was following us, but a blizzard took them out. I thought they were just hunters, because we'd gone up there to retrieve something from a small family of demon hunters. I wouldn't really expect something as hardy as a Slayer to be taken down by a blizzard, even one that bad."

Liz looked at her, hard, then down at the beer. She couldn't help but believe Bren, despite the fact that this was a known Demon Boss… demon boss as in evil, lying creature that she was supposed to hunt. "You're… not what I expected."

"A lot of people aren't. Sure, I've got my bad side, who doesn't… but I'm not evil, much as Daddy wants me to be." Bren shrugged. "At most, I'm a bitch, but as those big-ass, amusing balls on your Academy grounds can vouch for, I have a soul, and a heart."

They were silent for a moment again as Liz stared into her still full beer, and Bren tried to figure something out to break the tension again. She was surprised when Liz provided that. "So… what's up with the crazy vamp chick?"

"Ugh!" Brennon fell back against her part of the booth seat, covering her eyes with an arm dramatically and pushing the beer away with her tail. "Don't remind me. Regina! Eh, fuckin' headcase. Did you hear how difficult it was to even get her to talk?"

Liz actually laughed, softly. "Ballet? And we thought it was a code."

"Insane vampire assassin chick that's into ballet. _Why_ did Kevin think I'd like that? I hate vampires." The sigh and complaint was too heartfelt for Liz to not believe her again, and she offered another small chuckle. "At least I have you to thank for interrupting that… disaster of a date. What the hell was with that, anyway?"

"Oh. Um… Brian. He was… we broke up recently." Liz's cheeks burned brightly and Bren's eyebrows rose.

"Uh, that sucks. I'm sorry." The slayer looked surprised at her saying that, and she shrugged.

"It's okay. I did it… though I guess I could have been, erm, nicer about it." Liz's blush deepened. "I kinda… broke up with his machine… cause he was away on a mission."

"Why'd you break up with him?" Brennon smiled softly, sipping again at the beer as her tail dropped down below the table again. Liz hadn't even seemed to react to it, as if the person she was talking to having a tail was completely normal.

"I wasn't really… feeling it, I guess. I mean, he would be all over me, and I'd feel… bored? I dunno. I guess I just wanted more. I kinda feel that, when you're in love, or even just into the person you're with, it should be almost immediate. You should just… feel it. If it's not there, it's not there. Even with so many Slayers, we don't have long lives… I can't afford to wait around for years just to see if I develop feelings for him." She sighed, and shrugged. "Besides, he was an ass."

"I didn't see much of him, but he didn't seem very… um… pleasant." Bren did her best to be tactful, making Liz laugh and smile again in reaction. "But I know what you mean. The reason I disappeared for so long…"

Bren cut off, making Liz look up at her curiously. "The reason you disappeared?"

"Is something I'd rather not be in a Slayer's school report. No offense." The half-demon near growled, turning and sipping at the beer some more, then snagging Liz's when her own proved empty.

"If… um… you'd rather me not write it… then I won't. I mean, it's not like I can really tell them where I'm getting my information."

Brennon looked at her, surprised. "Um… the reason I disappeared after that last job up north was… well… my girlfriend dumped me. She said that I was attracting too many demon-hunters and Slayers… that, even if it didn't seem like I was all that terrible, I had to be doing something extra to be attracting so much attention. Then she told me she'd been cheating on me with some little hedge-witch." Bren sneered and shook her head. "So I left to get my head together. I mean, I wasn't gonna prove her right by going out and torturing the bitch… much as I wanted to. And I sure as fuck wasn't going to stick around to have the Slayers harassing me again."

"I'm… I'm sorry." Liz settled her hand on Bren's shoulder, eyes genuinely sorry.

"Yeah, but that was like, five and a half, six years ago." Bren shook her head and leaned back, turning toward Liz. "Forget about that for now. Have you seen anything from that independent films festival on Koven St.? The sixth film in the lineup is actually pretty good… a modern adaptation and revision of Carmen."

Mary looked up from her shot at the pool table, nervous and aggravated that she had to stand around and play the game with the warlock. She just wanted to go home and sleep. She certainly didn't want to be here. Kevin scrunched up his face and tried for the shot, missing yet again. Well, perhaps it wasn't too terrible. Rolling her eyes, she suggested that he try again, she thought she saw someone bump him. Glancing over at where Liz and that Brennon demon-person were sitting. Both were smiling and gesturing as they talked, though what they could be talking about she had no clue. Talon was leaning forward slightly, more leaning into Liz than anything else, and Mary could almost see the half-demon's tail gently sliding along Liz's leg.

"Um… correct me if I'm wrong… but it sorta looks like your sister… is hitting on…"

"Hitting on the Slayer chick, yeah. You're not wrong." He grunted, nearly popping the cue ball off the table this time. "You think she made me help kidnap you two just to take you out for a night of beer and demon socialization?"

"Um… she knows that Liz is, well, straight… right? She's not gonna go all wacko and kill her when Liz says no, right?" Mary's eyes went wide and she gripped his arm softly, instead of taking her aim. "Cause, really, I don't want her to die. You could convince Talon to let her live, right?"

Kevin raised his eyebrows at her, smiling sinisterly down at the hands on his arm. Mary flinched away, surprised at her own actions. "Honey-child, I'm more likely to kill the kid than she is. And her not being interested… I wouldn't be so sure." He glanced over at the interaction, doing his best not to sneer as he saw the other Slayer acting nothing less than interested. Mary frowned and shook her head. "Would you care to make a wager on that?"

"What would I wager against you?" Mary, regaining a Slayer's confidence, looked quite as if she didn't believe they could possibly have anything that could make a friendly bet between two people.

"Well, there's always money… which we have in enough abundance…" He temporized, watching as she took her shot. "But I have a feeling that if I do win, I'm going to be seeing a lot more of her, and probably more of you… So if I win, you can merely make a blood oath to keep your mouth shut about this." Mary's eyes narrowed. "And I suppose, if you win…"

"You'll tell me what she's planning." Mary supplied. Kevin looked confused. "She has to be planning something. Demon bosses are always planning something."

"She's really not. I mean, think about it. It's a struggle to maintain control over the area she's already inherited, and impossible for most others. What she has going right now, what we both have going right now, makes us plenty of money, keeps mutiny down, and minimizes encounters with Slayers and Hunters because few of ours step out of line other than their natural behavior." He shrugged and shot, missing horribly yet again. "Why end the world? It's fine the way it is. We mostly like it the way it is. Release hell? What for? Just to have the world destroyed anyway, and become the bitch of some true demon? All of that apocalypse planning bull that the others do… that's mostly because they're either stupid, or already the bitch of some other demon that wants hell to come to earth… or they've been there and enjoyed it, fucktards." He shook his head again, sneering. "We don't let any of those on with us. How 'bout I tip you off to a vampire cult that's been trying to invade our territory?" She looked at him skeptically, but offered a hand to shake. "And by the way… stop being such an annoying priss."

"Yeah, if you stop being such an aggravating jerk." She pouted back.

_**TBC**_

_Ofarlig is roughly translated to harmless in Swedish… supposedly._


	9. Chapter 8: Not As It Seems

Liz shivered again as she felt something run up her leg

Liz shivered again as she felt something run up her leg. At first she'd thought it was Brennon's foot… but after several moments, and the type of movement, she'd figured out that it was the woman's tail. She was sitting there, talking amiably with a demon… hell, not just amiably, she was happily chatting… and letting that demon's tail feel her up. What Liz wondered was when Brennon had ended up sitting so close to her. Four beer bottles were sitting on the table, only one of them hers, and it only half finished. She couldn't even claim intoxication, her Slayer metabolism was too high for half a beer to affect her like that. Blushing, she took another sip, trying not to smile as the tail curled around her leg just above her knee.

"And so I threw him down at the feet of a warlock that worked for Daddy, and said that if he didn't want me to royally kick his ass, he'd let the damned ass suck enough of the black out of him that he wouldn't retain an addiction." Brennon chuckled, shaking her head. "He's been careful with his magicks ever since, but sometimes I wonder how much black he uses when I'm not around."

"I didn't know you could have a warlock suck enough black magic out of someone to cure their addiction." Liz was certainly surprised about that, and looked in all seriousness at the half-demon.

"Oh, not to cure, no. Curing… that I dunno if it's possible. But if they're not yet, well…" Brennon shrugged, leaning back with her head tilted onto the booth back, looking at Liz. "It's like with a drug. Some people don't become addicted right away, and if you catch them early enough, you can try to draw it out of their system, or treat it. Similar thing. It's not safe though. Ya don't know or control the warlock, when they get that boost of power… holy hell but they can near drain the person unconscious, and the power boost is dangerous to deal with."

"Oh…" Liz sighed and squirmed a little again, trying to ignore the feel of Brennon's tail wrapped around her leg above her knee. As disconcerting as it was that a demon tail was on her, other than that it felt almost… comforting.

"So… did you always want to become a Slayer?" Brennon casually lifted a strand of the girl's hair, then let it drop.

"I… I don't know." Liz sounded shocked at the question, and at her answer. "I guess. I was identified as a Potential when I was very young. Being a Slayer was kind of expected."

"I know for a fact that not all girls with the Slayer powers become Slayers. You can't tell me that the family of the people that came up with the policy that allows that, forced you to become a Slayer. That kind of life, and danger?" Brennon turned toward her again, raising her eyebrows.

"I wasn't forced. I just… I could have been something else. But… I grew up listening to stories about the great Buffy and Willow. All of my bedtime stories as a kid were of them fighting off the badguys. I don't think there's one Prime group legend that I haven't heard a hundred times over. I never really dreamed of being anything else. When I was Called at puberty, and they asked me… of course I said yes. I was a kid, I didn't know what I wanted. Now… I don't know what else I could be." Liz's voice became a little bitter there. "It's a hard path to take. With who I am, I'm always being compared to Buffy or Willow."

"Nothing you would have done if you hadn't talent or been Called?" Brennon pressed, still curious and gently playing the tips of her fingers through a few strands of Liz's hair.

The Slayer's mouth twisted in thought, and she finally smiled. "I don't know. I probably would have been an artist. I actually do pretty good work with charcoal, chalk, and pen."

"I'd love to see some of your work." Liz turned abruptly toward Brennon, startled, and was even more surprised to feel that the woman was telling the truth. She didn't even register that Brennon's lips were lightly brushing hers until she'd begun to respond.

A loud clearing of someone's throat brought them apart, and Liz jerked to stare in the direction it had come from. There was Mary, staring at her, and there was Kevin, looking both apologetic and smug somehow. "You… She kissed you." Liz turned bright red, her color deepening further as she felt Brennon's tail slowly slide off of her. "And you let her. You kissed her back."

When Kevin leaned forward and whispered in Mary's ear just loud enough for Brennon's enhanced hearing and Liz's Slayer hearing to catch it, Brennon's eyes narrowed. "Looks like I won our bet."

"Mary, it's not what it looks like." Liz slid out of the booth, eyes wide with horror that they'd been caught. What the hell had she thought she was doing anyway? "She's really not… It's not like that."

"You kissed her back." Mary's voice actually squeaked, her eyes wide. "And… You have to tell the Watchers what happened tonight. This… You can't just think… and…"

"It's really not like that. Please Mary, you can't tell the Watchers about tonight…" Liz's eyes were wide and pleading. "Please…"

"I _can't_." Mary growled, glaring at her and stomping a foot. "So you have to. The Watchers said that…"

"That not all demons are evil. Look around Mary. What kind of demons do you see?" Mary looked around, glowering as she took in the crowd. Even the vampires had left by now, leaving only demons she couldn't recognize, and peaceful species that she'd been trained not to engage unless they attacked for some reason. "Please Mary… you can't just… It's not like that."

"Come on, girl. Let's just go play another round. Talon will be done in a few." Kevin smirked.

"No… No you have to take us home now." Liz turned and stared at Brennon, her cheeks gaining color again as soon as she saw her. The half-demon looked anything but happy and smug though. She was glaring at Kevin as if she couldn't believe him.

"Liz…"

"Take us home."

Liz looked down at the jacket as she laid it once more across her window. Whatever Kevin had done to it before they'd gotten out of the car, it _felt_ different to her senses. She had a feeling that he'd prevented them from tracking Brennon and he via the jacket. Glaring at the door, then at the window, she flopped into the bed.

The next morning had Liz waking to the same call from Diana that always roused them. The yelling made her actually roll out of the bed into a fighting crouch. Peaking out into the common area, yawning, she nearly fell to her face. The Head Watcher was standing there with Victor. "Morning report Summers." Scrambling, Liz ran to get the jacket, combing back her hair with her fingers.

"Good evening ladies. I'm glad to see that the four of you are… erm… fully awake so early." The woman smirked softly behind her hand at the fact that, other than Diana, the girls were in mussed sleepwear. "I would first like to congratulate you on your conduct last night. The agent from the Initiative responsible for blowing cover is currently on suspension, you'll be happy to note." The woman paused, watching Liz to see if she had any reaction to her now-ex-boyfriend's predicament. "Now, please give a full report before any further congratulations and celebration commence. I would like to hear this with my own ears."

"Em…" Diana waited a moment to see if Liz was going to take the reigns from her, and smiled when she didn't. "Intel suggested the location of a meeting between Talon and another person at this location. Our team was assigned for a recon mission. Under the guise of two witches there to meet an employer," here Diana gestured the two of them, and then to the others, "and the others in hiding. Brennon Talon entered the bar accompanied by her ally and brother, Kevin Smith. There she met a notorious vampire assassin. We had only just begun listening to the conversation, Liz mentioned them talking about ballet, when the Initiative soldier approached. Brian began arguing with Liz about her breaking up with him… when he bent forward to retrieve the bracelet he had gifted her, the wiring in his earpiece crossed with the spells on her ring. That alerted several demons, and when he jerked in response to the screech in his ear, it fell out and alerted others. When Initiative was cried, Talon made to move and escape, so I called ours to advance as well."

"Were you not instructed _not_ to engage Talon?" The woman asked, smirking still but raising her eyebrows.

"To follow, not to engage. If we could track Talon as she retreated, we could have then reported her whereabouts." Diana defended, not even hesitating. Then she smiled back. "It created more havoc in the bar to have Slayers appear, but we left the Initiative to handle it as one of their own had created this mess. After breaking through the door that her mage had barred after them, we split in twain down the two directions possible. Kelleigh and I stayed together to the two dead ends we found, then moved back along where the others had gone. We found Mary shouting that she had hit a dead end and was trying to find Liz."

The woman held up her hand there and turned to Liz for her part of the story. She blushed again, clutching the jacket. "I… um… it really wasn't all that impressive. I… I split with Mary because we reached another fork. I happened to be following the right one. Talon was… um… about to jump a fence to get back to the street when I found her. We circled a bit and traded barbs… I told her to just give up and surrender herself… and then Mary started shouting. I barely turned my head to shout where I was, and she disappeared. They arrived a moment after, and we found her jacket hanging, left behind." Liz shrugged, trying not to stutter nervously.

"I would say that she hadn't thought a single Slayer not worth the time to kill… but that she left you her jacket?" The woman frowned, still smiling and shook her head. "Something about you impressed her. I'd expect no less from the great-grandchild of the two Legends. I'd like to place you in charge of this Slayer unit…"

"Oh no, Miss Pryce, please. I'm… I can't. Even all of my examinations show that I'm not good at leading a team." She pleaded, seeing Diana tense up. "I'm either better being led, or working alone. Diana… she's the best team leader we could ask for."

The woman looked surprised, and glanced Diana up and down, as if just now noticing her. "Alright… if that's what you believe. But you have full authority to separate from your unit when needed. If you've an instinct, when dealing with Talon, that you need to go somewhere else, or check something, you do it. You can call for backup if it's needed… but something about you, girl, is what kept you alive. Something told you where to look." She paused then gestured the jacket, readying to leave. "Have your unit's magics look at that. I doubt it's able to track to her if she left it behind, but we can't risk not checking."

They all watched as the woman left, Victor staring at them too-proudly. "Liz… thanks… for um…"

"Diana, we all know you're ten times the leader I'll ever be." Liz smiled, her nerves screaming, and turned slightly. "I… um… I'm bushed. Didn't sleep much last night. Mind if we, yanno… do this later?"

"Oh, understandable. Geeze, and the whole Brian thing too." Diana said with an understanding smile, still proud that Liz hadn't tried to take her leadership away. Behind her, Mary was looking at her like she was completely unbelievable. "We could all use more sleep after last night. How bout we meet up around mid-afternoon and get that jacket looked at?" Liz only nodded, moving into her room and quickly closing the door behind her. Heart racing, she let out a long breath and tried not to groan. What the hell was she supposed to do now? Logically speaking, she should have sounded the alarm as soon as she'd realized Brennon had snuck into her bedroom. Even at that, she should be telling them what happened the previous night. Instead she was covering. Whimpering slightly at her predicament, she fell onto the bed for more sleep, tossing the jacket onto a nearby chair.

_**TBC**_


	10. Chapter 9: Tracking Talon

"Inconclusive

"Inconclusive?" Liz cringed at Diana's tone, watching as the mini-coven of witches they had working with them did much the same. Just as the Academy trained Slayers, it too trained witches, and each miniature coven of girls and boys trained in such was assigned to work with certain units of slayers. Amusing the thought that there had once been only one or two slayers, depending on when, to work with countless magicks and covens, and now there were so many that the training covens had to be spread among slayer units. "How can it be inconclusive!"

The girl shrank back for only a moment before attempting to stand tall. Liz had to at least give her brownie points for having some spine against Diana's incredulous frustration. "By being inconclusive, that's how." The response wasn't what any of them would have expected, and she could see Mary try to hide a smile. "The damn thing shines, Diana. To magical sight, it radiates. It's got so many spells around it that it's as if its magic itself… and one is a spell that links it to Talon. By all rights, that should mean that it's _easier_ to track her through it. But it's not. In fact, its' close to impossible. We'd have to have a full, full-trained coven to break it, and that's a maybe. That jacket… Brennon Talon can find it wherever it is, I think. I think, likely, it's so that she can find us, instead. Not like that'd be hard. Every demon in the city's gotta know where the Academy."

"Then why's it so hard to reverse that and make it so we can track her?" Diana insisted, pointing imperiously at the jacket and making Liz shake her head with a sigh. It wasn't that simple, even she knew that.

"I _told_ you, Diana, it's got magic all wrapped up around it. There are so many binding and warding spells on it that it's dangerous for me and the girls to try even poking at the magic more than we already have." The girl shook her head, frowning. "If anything, one of the things I sensed on there, it's keyed to Summers. If Talon can be tracked through it, she probably had it keyed to Liz so that only Liz can find her, and only when she wants. And if she did, that was long before it entered grounds." Diana looked surprised. "If it was keyed to Summers, Diana, it had to be done outside of our wards. There's no way even the mage that did all of these spells could brake through Rosenberg's protections here. And you know what it means if it was keyed to her outside of grounds… it was keyed before your little confrontation… and it would mean it was planned."

"Liz… take the jacket." Diana ordered, eyes wide and trying not to smile. If this was all planned, all-the-better. She didn't want her friend's prowess compromised, no, but it would explain things a great deal better. Liz was careful to step inside of the circles of sand, even though she knew nothing would happen to her, and pick up the jacket. "Go ahead… see if you can get a sense of her…"

Liz prayed silently that she _didn't_ get any indication of where Talon was. How could she explain to them then that it hadn't been pre-meditated? Even if it was keyed to her, it would have happened last night when Talon had dragged her off to that demon bar. Closing her eyes, and breathing deeply, she concentrated. These girls were experienced to know if she was lying, and if she tried, that was the unfortunate thing. A moment passed, and then two, and then three. By the time five passed, and she hadn't even gotten a stirring of sensation or instinct, she inwardly smiled, but shook her head with the best disappointed expression she could manage. Then, she smirked just slightly and cracked an eye at Diana, "Though I have to admit I'm kind of glad I won't be used as a bloodhound on her… that would get tiring, and frustrating."

"Well, even the Head Watcher didn't think it would pan out…" Diana sighed, nodding, and the gesturing the other three Slayers away with her, nodding to their Watcher and the witches in thanks. "But try and keep it with you, Liz. Maybe we'll be able to flush her out… or maybe you might be able to get a lock on her eventually. Lets go suit up for tonight's patrol."

"Why are you wearing that thing?" Kelleigh's voice was surprised, and Liz had to glance back at her to see if the girl really was glowering at her like she suspected.

"You wanna carry it? It's a hassle, and the coven didn't say anything about spells that would make it strangle or control its wearer or anything like that." Liz sighed and rolled her eyes at the fellow Slayer. "Besides, there's more of a chance that I'll be able to get some sort of premonition or feeling if I wear it…" She didn't have to look to the side to see Mary giving her a skeptical and disgusted look. "So where are we heading tonight, Diana?"

"There's rumors of a big kitty-poker game going on tonight in one of the sub-houses, below a feeding bordello. Other games of chance probably too, they usually have other gambling and entertainments at the big one." Diana offered, leading them through the streets toward one of the rattier ends of town, where a lot of the houses where vampires went to feed on willing humans were located. Only four of them had underground, basement sections, meant for gambling and entertainment other than feeding. Only one of those four was attached to the sewer system for easy escape. That happened to be the one in their assigned territory for the week. "I think it might be one of Talon's, Liz, so keep a sharp eye… and good thinking with the jacket, you won't have to throw it somewhere for fighting either."

Mary held back a skeptical snort, and Liz held back her blush. This was just getting too complicated, but Liz couldn't help but remember the conversations she'd held with the half-demon. As they neared the large building, Liz got a strange feeling down the back of her neck. Glancing around, she shivered a bit, and saw no one watching them. Just as they were about to bust through the windows and doors, the sensation of something trailing down her spine happened again, and she shivered more. It granted her a few strange looks, but she waved that everything was okay, and jumped through the boarded up windows at the same time as the others… to find the place completely vacant. The girls all looked at each other, and then everyone looked at Diana.

At the signal to move forward, cautiously, the girls pulled out their stakes, Diana drawing the sword across her back, and aimed for the basement stairs. The slight rumble of conversation, and a few piteous mews of kittens drifted upward, and their squad leader nodded. Just as they were about to kick in the door, there was a slight noise that drifted down from the upstairs. At that shiver down her neck again, Liz paused.

"I'll check it out. You guys can handle the idiots downstairs… it's probably just a bite-whore and its feed." She whispered, earning a nod of approval from Diana, and another strange look from Mary. Her cheeks flushed, but she turned and snuck up the stairs as quietly as possible.

"Shh…." A hand wrapped around her mouth, an arm around hers, and she was pressed back into the body behind her. Even as she began to struggle, the feel of a tail ghosted across her leg, and she turned her head enough to see Brennon bend forward to whisper. "You're wearing my jacket again." Slowly the hand eased from her mouth. "Hey."

"What're you doing here?" She hissed, pulling away and looking around to see if anyone else was nearby. The entire top floor was empty except for them. "Was that you, making that tingle go down my neck? You can't be here."

"I wanted to see you." The tone was casual as Brennon leaned against the wall, keeping an eye on the stairs as well as the girl. "Miss me?"

"My team is down there right now facing off against some random poker big-wigs, and you drew me up here?" Liz sounded incredulous.

"Actually, they're all vampires, except the loan shark demon." Brennon corrected, smirking softly. "I have no love for the blood-suckers, and the shark's been skimming. Your friends shouldn't really be in any danger if they're any good at what they do. How much time do you think it'll take them to take out fifteen vampires and a demon?" Liz stared at her. True, facing off against a room full of vampires wasn't a stroll in the park, but that wasn't really so big of a deal for the three Slayers she was teamed with. "I wanted to apologize for my brother… he's an ass."

"No kidding…" Liz smiled softly, blushing a little. "Um… did you really set this up just to talk to me? It sounds kind of… reckless. What if one of the others had come up to investigate?"

"I'm a half-demon. Of course it's reckless." Bren chuckled softly and brushed hair out of Liz's face casually. "If it had been one of them, I would have smelled it, and kept hidden. Listen… um… I know we don't have a lot of time… but I wanted to know… Well I wanted to see you again. We didn't end on a great note last night so…. Besides, you haven't gotten a lot of information for your research, and you could stand to learn a few more demonic hangouts around here."

"I…" Liz couldn't believe she was about to say this, "I'd love to. Just… god this is going to be odd…"

"You're telling me." Bren smiled brilliantly, leaning forward and pressing a hard kiss to the girl's lips. "Now did I just laugh as you tried to take me down, or do you want me to hit you so it looks like you were in a fight…" Liz stared at her, touching her lips and looking confused. "I mussed up the room behind me… I figured it'd be better to explain why you were up here for so long."

"Er…" Liz gulped, still surprised from the kiss, and the feel of the tail still wrapped firmly around her leg. Was she ever going to get used to that? Why was she even wondering at such a thing? "G… go ahead and hit me."

Bren brushed a thumb across Liz's lip, whispered an apology, and then hauled back and hit her. It surprised the young slayer, who stumbled for balance and shook her head, dazed. Looking up, she watched as Brennon waved, looking pained, and then threw herself outward by one of the few still in-tact windows of the place. Running to the ledge, she watched as the half-demon landed easily, rolled a bit, and then took off running. At the same time, she heard the thumps of feet on the stairs. "Liz!"

Diana, Kelleigh, and Mary all piled into the room, looked around at where some of the rickety furniture of the run-down room was shattered, and then at Liz. "You're bleeding! What was it? Was it…"

"I'm fine." Liz smiled, wincing almost as it pulled on the new cut to her lip, surprised. Looking through the window again, she shook her head and turned back to the others. They looked expectant.

"What happened?" Diana looked anxious, excited, and Mary was watching her warily.

"Oh, um, nothing. Just a demon… er… another of the loan sharks. I think it worked for Talon." She shrugged, sighed, and put the stake into the back of her pants. Diana raised an eyebrow, as did Mary, but no one said anything. "When I kicked it, it went through the window… but it ran off just as I heard you guys coming."

Mary was still looking at her skeptically, but Diana sighed with a nod, having hoped for something better, perhaps an encounter with Brennon Talon herself. "Right o. Nothing big downstairs, a bunch of vamps, gaming, and one loan shark demon. Must not have been that big of a game…"

"Must not have." Liz shrugged, attempting to look as casual and unconcerned as possible. Half of her couldn't believe that she'd agreed to see Brennon again; the other half of her wondered how it would be possible, as no arrangements had been made. With a big sigh from Diana at the lack of any significant threats, they turned, moving out of the building and back to their patrol. Liz realized as they walked out that, other than vampires, it was likely Brennon had warned off any demons in the area for the night, since she knew that the Slayers would be patrolling. Then again, with the Academy so close by, it was a given that Slayers could and would be patrolling any given area, so why the demons had remained in this town at all was a mystery to her. It would argue intelligence to not have hoards of demons settled into a town overseen by an entire Academy of slayers… but no one ever said that the majority of the demon population was intelligent… just some of them.

Patrol was neither more, nor less, eventful than any other given night, and Liz spent the majority of it with her mind swirling between wondering how Brennon planned to meet with her again, if it would be another late-night kidnapping, and if the half-demon had spread the word that Slayers would be hunting the area that night.

_**TBC**_


End file.
